Notice how the word Bitcoin replaces the word “loca” in the title of this post. That’s not an accident. You would have to be really special, if you catch my drift, to live fully on Bitcoin (AKA the Bitcoin standard) in 2025. But many of us do. Jack Mallers, of Strike app fame, does just this. He posted a picture of his bank account showing zero balance of dollars as proof. I did that months prior on NOSTR, see pic below.
What is living the Bitcoin standard? To answer that question, I want to tell you a story. Share my Bitcoin journey, if you will. A few years ago (around 2020 or 2021) I saw a podcast with a famous Bitcoiner, Max Hillibrand, of Wasabi Wallet fame. He told the host that he was living the Bitcoin standard. At that time, I was still working my corporate nine to five. I earned fiat dollars and bought Bitcoin with what was left each month after all my bills were paid. “Lucky,” I thought when I heard Max. “I wish I had enough Bitcoin to live the Bitcoin standard,” I mused to myself. If only I knew then what I know now.
To make a long story short, living the Bitcoin standard is striving to use Bitcoin in every aspect of your life. Living 100% in Bitcoin. You may wonder how that’s possible since most people don’t accept Bitcoin yet. Well, there are many ways to do it, at varying degrees, according to each person’s current financial situation and understanding of Bitcoin. Suffice it to say, I am on the extreme end. For me personally, I use credit for almost everything, unless I am unable to pay using a credit card. I keep all my money, cash and savings in Bitcoin, at all times. As bills are due, I then sell just enough Bitcoin to service the debt and pay necessary bills. Otherwise, all my money is in Bitcoin. And, just to make clear, I am not waiting for any price level to sell back into dollars. I know that Bitcoin is going up forever in fiat dollar terms, so holding Bitcoin and shorting the dollar means my life gets cheaper and cheaper, as measured in dollars over time. When everyone else is complaining about inflation and prices, I am laughing all the way to the (Bitcoin) bank.
To be fair, my strategy is not for the faint of heart. It goes against everything you’ve learned growing up. Using credit cards to live can be risky business if you are not disciplined, careful and organized. However, I have made the intentional decision to opt out of the “system”. Unlike Max, I am not an OG Bitcoiner. I just switched my livelihood to Bitcoin. Regardless of your Bitcoin level of conviction, you too can find a way to live with Bitcoin instead of dollars. Let me show you how.